Tinder for shy types earns millions for millennial developer

MANILA - Valenice Balace quit her job in a telecommunications company to build a dating app for conservative Filipinas like her and the gamble has so far paid off by $100,000 (P5 million).

Peekawoo allows users to strike up conversations within the app on a variety of topics, unlike US-made Tinder, which matches users based solely on whether or not they like each other.

With Peekawoo as its flagship product, Honest Worldwide has earned $100,000 and grew its workforce to 50 from 4 in 5 years, Balace said.


"If the customers are happy, they will be willing to pay for it," she said in a recent forum of app developers for Google's Android platform.

Peekawoo charges P749 a month for users to access its full features. Tinder charges up to P999 per month.

"I think what made me do it was I really wanted to do something different with my life and like I was young. If ever I fail it's okay because you have the license to fail," she said.

At 29, Balace is CEO and managing partner of Honest Worldwide, which operates Peekawoo.

The millennial technology entrepreneur said it was intimidating starting a business at 23, but she believed Peekawoo is a "product that works."

"You have to be kind of confident and try to do baby steps, I think what makes it scary is if you think of the ending right away," she said.

"But if you think like task per task its actually quiet easy. Before you know it you're in the middle already," she said.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Pinoy-made video game turns 'Super Mario' into a villain

The advent of home console gaming over three decades ago saw millions of people worldwide falling in love with a heroic plumber who needs to navigate his way through pipes and a variety of creatures to save a kidnapped princess.

Now, in a twist that movie producers would love, the hero has become the villain. Instead of guiding the plumber through various worlds and missions, one game has chosen to make a parody, where the plumber has to be killed.

In an interview on ANC's "Future Perfect," Bari Silvestre, one of the game designers of "Kill the Plumber," said he collaborated with a Russian game developer to develop the game.

A parody of the popular Super Mario game, the game's objective is to kill the plumber using several methods.

According to Silvestre, the first version of their game faced copyright issues due to its similarities to the original game.

"Kasi masayado siyang similar noon, as in red and blue 'yung costume niya, and then, masyadong crossing the line na siguro, so na-ban siya sa Apple, pero na-release namin sa Google Play."

Upon receiving recognition from gaming blogs, websites and conferences, Silvestre and his Russian collaborator decided to improve the game, and to make it more available to a wider audience.

"Inimprove namin siya eh, kasi nagkaroon siya ng maraming recognition, features sa mga websites at conference. So sabi namin, we have something na kailangan nating i-improve, and siguro, one more take na i-submit ulit sa Apple. Version 2 na itong nakikita niyong Kill the Plumber," Silvestre said.

Kill the Plumber is available for $5 in Steam and $3 in both Apple App Store and Google Play Store. - Future Perfect, ANC, Feburary 10, 2015

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Google adds feature to Santa Tracker

Google makes counting down to Christmas more educational and fun with additional features to its tracker for Santa Claus.

The Google Santa Tracker will unveil one tool a day leading up to December 25, allowing users to learn basic coding skills, exercise geography knowledge and create printable ornaments while learning about charitable groups.

The Google Santa Tracker also has an Android app that tracks Santa's trip around the world this Christmas eve and lets users play with the reindeer and elves.

The app is available for download in the Google Play Store while desktop users can go to santatracker.google.com.

-ANC's News Now, December 04, 2015

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com